Festive Cranberry Nettles Tonic

This tonic is fantastic all year long but is an especially nice non-alcoholic drink to nourish yourself with around the holidays. Nettles stimulate our lymph, are supportive of immunity and detoxification, our adrenals, help with digestion, allergies, and much more. They are loaded with minerals like potassium, B vitamins, and vitamin K1. They can also help the body assimilate magnesium better. If you tend to be sensitive, start with a shorter steep time, 2-4 hours, and start with 1 cup a day to see how your body responds. Feel free to work up to 2-3 cups a day if you’d like. For maximum benefits steep overnight.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup organic dried nettle leaf (I like to get my herbs from MRH)

• 1 tablespoon organic dried spearmint or peppermint leaf

• 1/2 Cup unsweetened organic cranberry juice

• 2 teaspoons honey or maple syrup

• 2 cups boiled water

Directions:

1. Boil the water.

2. Place the nettle and mint into a quart-sized mason jar and add the boiling water over the herbs. Stir to combine, put on the lid, and allow to steep for at least two hours and up to overnight.

3. Strain the herbs, rinse out the jar, and pour the strained liquid back into the jar. Add the cranberry juice, sweetener, and enough filtered water to fill the jar. Drink up to two cups a day. Enjoy warm, cold, or at room temperature! Feel free to garnish with some fresh, festive herbs.

Versatile Cabbage Slaw

I LOVE making a cabbage-based slaw as a side all year round because you can always find in-season ingredients and it can basically go along with any recipe. Cabbage is loaded with nutrients including vitamin C and folate, fiber and is supportive of liver and gut health. I make a big batch of this at least once a week to eat as a side or garnish. Here is my go-to recipe. I swap out ingredients depending on what I have on hand. ⁠

Prep time: 20ish minutes

Yield: 8-10 servings

Ingredients:

• Red, green, napa or savoy cabbage, chopped - 6-8 cups⁠

• Bunch of cilantro, chopped fine - more if you like cilantro⁠!

• 1/2 - 1 red onion, sliced thinly (depends on how much onion you like!)

• Bunch of red radishes or large daikon, thinly sliced into half-moons⁠

• Sesame seeds or pumpkin seeds- as many as you'd like for color, interest, and flavor⁠

• Apple cider vinegar, a splash

• Juice of 2 limes or lemons⁠

• Extra-virgin olive oil or Avocado oil, a few glugs, or about 1/4 cup⁠

• Sea salt and pepper to taste⁠

Directions:

Combine all veggies in a large bowl, add spices and liquids, combine, taste, and refine as needed.⁠⁠

Other potential additions or swaps:

• Sliced or shredded carrots

• Chopped celery

• Thinly sliced cucumbers

• Chopped nuts

• Seeds⁠

• Chopped dried fruits⁠

• Chopped apple

• Chopped pear

• Chopped or grated garlic⁠

• Thinly sliced green onion⁠

• Different spices⁠

• Different kinds of vinegar

Any other ideas? Let me know!

Yummy Chimichurri

Ingredients:

• 1/4 Cup red wine vinegar

• 1/2 Cup (packed) each of chopped cilantro, basil and parsley

• 3 Garlic cloves

• 1/2 Teaspoon pink salt

• 1/2 Teaspoon cracked black pepper

• 1/2 Teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)

• 1/2 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Directions:

Add all ingredients except olive oil to a high powered blender. Cover and blend until relatively smooth. Keep blender running and add oil until combined. Store in glass container for up to 5 days or freeze for later use!